Hi GAF, this marks my first thread on this hallowed ground.
I had never seen an episode of 24 in my life, but that all changed a couple of weeks ago as a combination of two things; wanting to see more Kiefer after Ground Zeroes, and at the insistence of my housemate, who had recently begun Power-Houring himself.
Firstly, I should probably clarify that I'm now hooked, and intend to ride the show out until the very end. That doesn't mean, however, that I didn't find fault with the show, of which there are many. My usual TV fare would generally be HBO-related (my favourite shows are Deadwood and Rome), but every now and then I have a weakness for extreme balls-to-the-wall action and suspense, which is why I adore Bond and Bourne movies, and now 24.
In terms of concept, I love what the show has to offer. I was unaware of the 24-hour format before jumping in, and it was a nice surprise. One thing I did question a few times was the apparently short travel times between locations, but as I am not familiar with the geography of L.A., I rest my case.
Overall, I had a blast and can't wait to jump into season 2, where I have heard the show really hits its stride. But, please allow me to vent...
Fucking Kim and Teri Bauer. Of all the annoying subplots/characters in shows, these at least have to be close to taking the cake. It started off pretty well with Kim and her friend being kidnapped, while Teri and not-Alan York tried to work things out. I even managed to put up with the shit in the cabin they were eventually held in, even when they fucking sat around twiddling their thumbs after killing Eli. I still managed to withhold my frustration after their various escapes and subsequent chases. But when Kim was captured AGAIN from the police escort towards the end of the season, I actually gave up watching the show for a few days. It just felt incredibly contrived and a cheap attempt to gain some last minute tension (as if this show is ever lacking it!). On the other hand, I just wasn't impressed with Teri's actress at all, and her doe-eyed amnesia subplot was terrible.
The Palmer side of the story had the opposite effect, in that I thought it started off weak and slightly uninteresting (annoying Keith etc.), but by about halfway through the season I became fascinated with it. As soon as I heard Palmer's voice I knew it was Splinter Cell's Lambert, and it was a pleasant surprise to see that he's also a stellar real-life actor.
I both love and hate the fact that Jack is an unstoppable force of nature, and those who defy him are just waiting to be proven wrong/killed, but I've been able to reconcile myself to that fact, and enjoy seeing how he will deal with every situation. On the CTU side of things, I started off hating Tony, but by the end of the season he was one of my favourite characters, along with Mason. Xander Berkeley is so unintentionally hilarious, and it's refreshing to see an authority figure who isn't straight up antagonistic towards the protagonist, and definitely comes to trust and aid him as he can.
So to summarise:
Good - Jack, Mason, Tony, Palmer, Gaines, Teri's death
Bad - Kim/Teri subplots, Sherry Palmer's actress, Victor Drazen's actor, Nina's reveal
I had never seen an episode of 24 in my life, but that all changed a couple of weeks ago as a combination of two things; wanting to see more Kiefer after Ground Zeroes, and at the insistence of my housemate, who had recently begun Power-Houring himself.
Firstly, I should probably clarify that I'm now hooked, and intend to ride the show out until the very end. That doesn't mean, however, that I didn't find fault with the show, of which there are many. My usual TV fare would generally be HBO-related (my favourite shows are Deadwood and Rome), but every now and then I have a weakness for extreme balls-to-the-wall action and suspense, which is why I adore Bond and Bourne movies, and now 24.
In terms of concept, I love what the show has to offer. I was unaware of the 24-hour format before jumping in, and it was a nice surprise. One thing I did question a few times was the apparently short travel times between locations, but as I am not familiar with the geography of L.A., I rest my case.
Overall, I had a blast and can't wait to jump into season 2, where I have heard the show really hits its stride. But, please allow me to vent...
Fucking Kim and Teri Bauer. Of all the annoying subplots/characters in shows, these at least have to be close to taking the cake. It started off pretty well with Kim and her friend being kidnapped, while Teri and not-Alan York tried to work things out. I even managed to put up with the shit in the cabin they were eventually held in, even when they fucking sat around twiddling their thumbs after killing Eli. I still managed to withhold my frustration after their various escapes and subsequent chases. But when Kim was captured AGAIN from the police escort towards the end of the season, I actually gave up watching the show for a few days. It just felt incredibly contrived and a cheap attempt to gain some last minute tension (as if this show is ever lacking it!). On the other hand, I just wasn't impressed with Teri's actress at all, and her doe-eyed amnesia subplot was terrible.
The Palmer side of the story had the opposite effect, in that I thought it started off weak and slightly uninteresting (annoying Keith etc.), but by about halfway through the season I became fascinated with it. As soon as I heard Palmer's voice I knew it was Splinter Cell's Lambert, and it was a pleasant surprise to see that he's also a stellar real-life actor.
I both love and hate the fact that Jack is an unstoppable force of nature, and those who defy him are just waiting to be proven wrong/killed, but I've been able to reconcile myself to that fact, and enjoy seeing how he will deal with every situation. On the CTU side of things, I started off hating Tony, but by the end of the season he was one of my favourite characters, along with Mason. Xander Berkeley is so unintentionally hilarious, and it's refreshing to see an authority figure who isn't straight up antagonistic towards the protagonist, and definitely comes to trust and aid him as he can.
So to summarise:
Good - Jack, Mason, Tony, Palmer, Gaines, Teri's death
Bad - Kim/Teri subplots, Sherry Palmer's actress, Victor Drazen's actor, Nina's reveal
